Physician - Psychiatry Supervisor

This is an OPEN CONTINUOUS ANNOUNCEMENT and will remain open until September 30, 2027. Qualified applicants will be considered and referred as vacancies become available.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Available for well-qualified applicants.
Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Authorized Learn more.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact visn7edrpfacilitycoordinators2@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance

Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases.
Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME).
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement).
Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory.
CME: Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification).
Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided.
Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting.

Major Duties and Responsibilities:

The Supervisory Psychiatrist provides clinical leadership, oversight, and direction within the mental health service by supervising an interdisciplinary team of psychiatrists, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and psychiatry residents. The role ensures high-quality patient care, adherence to VA policies and clinical standards, and optimal coordination of psychiatric services within the service line.

1. Clinical Leadership & Oversight
Provides expert psychiatric consultation and leadership across mental health programs, ensuring evidence-based and recovery-oriented care.
Oversees diagnostic evaluations, medication management, crisis intervention, and treatment planning for complex behavioral health conditions.
Ensures clinical services comply with VA, VHA, VISN, and facility policies, as well as accreditation standards.
Directly supervises assigned clinical staff, which may include psychiatrists, advanced practice providers, and psychiatry residents.
Conducts performance evaluations, competency assessments, and monitors professional development.
Identifies training needs and ensures staff receive ongoing education in best psychiatric practices.
Provides mentoring, coaching, and guidance to support staff retention, performance, and morale.

3. Program Management
Oversees daily operations of assigned psychiatric programs or clinics, ensuring effective workload distribution and team coordination.
Develops, implements, and evaluates program goals, clinical workflows, and service improvements.
Collaborates with leadership to allocate resources, manage staffing, and maintain compliance with productivity expectations.
Participates in strategic planning for mental health services and contributes to policy development.

4. Interdisciplinary Collaboration
Works closely with other mental health leaders, primary care, specialty care teams, and administrative stakeholders to coordinate patient services.
Supports integration of behavioral health within broader clinical programs (e.g., BHIP, CRH, Addiction Services).
Participates in interdisciplinary treatment meetings, case reviews, and care coordination initiatives.

5. Patient Care Responsibilities
Provides direct psychiatric care as part of clinical duties, including assessment, pharmacologic treatment, and follow-up care.
Maintains accurate, timely documentation in accordance with VA electronic health record standards.
Ensures continuity of care, safety planning, and appropriate management of high-risk patients.
6. Compliance, Quality, & Safety
Monitors clinical practice adherence to regulatory and quality standards (e.g., TJC, CARF, VHA directives).
Oversees quality initiatives, peer reviews, and performance improvement projects.
Ensures safe prescribing practices, documentation, and follow-up protocols.
Responds to audits, reviews, and required reporting with timely and accurate information.

7. Administrative Duties
Participates in leadership meetings, committees, and workgroups as required.
Completes administrative reports, data reviews, and performance metrics related to program operations.
Supports hiring, onboarding, and workforce planning for psychiatric staff.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM. Subject to change based on the needs of the agency.

To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Degree of doctor of medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed.
• Current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia.
• Residency Training: Physicians must have completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification. (NOTE: VA physicians involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status.) Approved residencies are:
  • (1) Those approved by the accrediting bodies for graduate medical education, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA), in the list published for the year the residency, or fellowship if applicable, was completed; OR
  • (2) One year of post medical school training (internship, first year of residency, or transitional year residency) approved by ACGME or AOA followed by two years of post-training independent practice (performing under a full and unrestricted license) in the United States; OR
  • (3) Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of verified independent practice in the United States (performing under a full and unrestricted license) performing duties related to the position they are applying for (United States fellowships would be creditable towards this requirement), which the local Medical Staff Executive Committee deems to have provided the applicant with appropriate professional training and believes has exposed the Physician to an appropriate range of patient care experiences.
  • Exceptions:
    • Residents currently enrolled in ACGME/AOA accredited residency training programs and who would otherwise meet the basic requirements for appointment are eligible to be appointed as "Physician Resident Providers" (PRPs). PRPs must be fully licensed physicians (i.e., not a training license) and may only be appointed on an intermittent basis. PRPs are not considered independent practitioners and will not be privileged; rather, they are to have a "scope of practice" that allows them to perform certain restricted duties under supervision. Additionally, surgery residents in gap years may also be appointed as PRPs.
    • In rare and unusual circumstances, the Facility Director can submit a memo to the VISN Director through the VISN Chief Medical Officer, who may approve requests for reasonable exceptions to the residency training requirement for Physicians whose composite record of experience, accomplishments, performance, and qualifications warrant such action.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.

Preferred Experience: Expertise in diagnostic evaluations, medication management, crisis intervention, and treatment planning for complex behavioral health conditions. Ability to deliver or oversee evidence-based treatments, support interdisciplinary care, and ensure safe prescribing practices. Experience supervising psychiatrists, NPs, PAs, and residents; conducting competency assessments; monitoring performance; and ensuring professional development. Experience participating in strategic planning, policy development, and resource allocation within mental health services.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: Eligible applicants must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, without hazard to themselves or others. Depending on the essential duties of a specific position, usable vision, color vision, hearing or speech may be required. However, in most cases, a specific physical condition or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid.

Degree of Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are:

1. Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted.
2. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted.
3. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, confirmation must be made that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirement for year graduated.

NOTE: The Under Secretary of Health or designee in the VHA Central Office may approve the appointment under authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 of a physician graduate of a school of medicine not covered above if the candidate is to be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. The appointment will be made only in exceptional circumstances where the candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.